Kitty: Time At Court
by LadyElla2199
Summary: Writing as Catherine Howard, follow her time at Court as she arrives to serve Anne of Cleves.
1. Chapter 1

New clothes mean new opportunities. I cannot contain my excitement when presented with new gowns, hoods to match along with a very fine cloak and matching muff. As I look around me, I can see the ladies with their fine gowns and the jewels twinkling on the fine French hoods that adorned their heads. Now, I know that my station does not allow me to be dressed in such fine gowns, but what is the point of me being in the new Queen's retinue if I do not have pretty things to wear?

I, along with the other young girls who are to attend on the new Queen have travelled down by boat to Gravesend; the weather was miserable, the worst I had ever seen in my young life. The wind that strong that I thought I would be blown over the side and dumped into the dark and murky waters. Our future mistress greeted us with a blank expression on her face. Some say she is tired with all the travelling, but to me, she is very much in awe of her new surroundings. Everything seems to overwhelm her; for when people cheer for her whenever she appears, she waves at them as if she is an overenthusiastic child.

When it was my turn to be presented to her, she just looked at me and the others as if she did not know what our function was to be in her apartments. To me the atmosphere seemed a little stale, what was needed was a little music and entertainment. If she had asked, I would have sang for her and she would have been enchanted by my note perfect voice. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed us and it was not until later that Lady Rochford told us that our new Queen retreats to her bedchamber and wants time to be alone.

"She does this on many occasions."

"But why?" I ask."

"Who knows. Maybe it is to pray…..Pray that His Majesty likes her."

"But she seems…"

"Seems what Kitty?" my cousin by marriage asks.

I lean forward and whisper, "Lacking a few wits…."

"For shame Catherine Howard! Do not let me hear you repeating that to anyone."

"But why?" I did not understand that if the future Queen of England was not right in the head, everyone should know.

"It is not because, as you said she lacks a few wits. She is very shy. It is all very new to her. We must all be very kind to her; show her how merry we can be and also we should teach her more English, so she may be able to understand us more and overcome this shyness."

Somehow, I cannot see Anne of Cleves being anything but a disappointment to King Henry VIII; after his first three wives, she has a lot to live up to….Pious Catherine of Aragon, my vivacious cousin, Anne Boleyn and gentle Jane Seymour.

Maybe Lady Rochford is right, all she needs is some reassurance at how to behave. Lady Isle seems to like her and is at her side often. But what frightens me is that there will be no merriment in this new household I am attached to. And what is the point of being a Queen when there is no merriment to be had at all?


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner, we all congregate about a very large window that overlooks the courtyard as the evenings entertainment is about to commence. Bear-baiting holds no interest to me, but for England's new Queen it is something she has never witnessed before. She stands engrossed in the proceedings with Lady Rochford on one side of her and Lord Lisle on the other side.

It is then that I see him come in. There are six of them in total, old men all of them (well, to me they are old!) and the King leads them in, and they are all swathed in the same style and coloured cloak, as if they are in disguise. He thinks it is like a masque, and he will greet her and she will be surprised to see him before her without any trappings of ceremony and we will all be happy and hopefully there will be music and dancing to celebrate.

But alas, that is not what happens.

When he kisses her, it takes us all by surprise. By the look on her face, she has no idea who this fat old man is. She thinks he is just someone who has spent the last few hours nursing his wine cup. There is shock upon her face, but more than that she is repelled by his appearance. She wipes her mouth on the back of her hand, trying to rid herself of the taste of him. Curses in German come in waves, how dare this man….this nobody think he had the right to touch her…

"Leave me," she orders as she turns her back on him.

The King staggers back into the arms of Sir Anthony Browne as his problematic leg gives way. There is an eerie silence, nobody dares to say anything. This uneasiness could not continue, so what possessed me, I do not know, but I piped up in a tiny voice.

"Your Majesty, I would never have guessed it was you…."


End file.
